Large scale systems: decentralization, structure constraints and fixed modes (Q1210903)

This book provides a survey of recent results on control of linear, time- invariant large-scale systems using structurally constrained feedback. It consists of seven chapters and six appendices. Chapter one contains a summary of controllability and observability of centrally controlled systems and their relation to stabilizability and pole assignability, a brief description of the concept of structural controlability/observability. Chapter two introduces the concept of decentralized fixed modes and its generalization to arbitrary structural constraints, and outlines the stabilization methods of Wang and Davison and Corfmat and Morse. Chapter three is devoted to several characterization of fixed modes. It includes characterizations in terms of transmission zeros, as well as algebraic characterizations in time and frequency domains. The concept of structurally fixed modes and their graphical characterization are also considered. Chapter four describes the use of time-varying and vibrational control for stabilization in the presence of fixed modes due to pole-zero cancellations. Chapter five deals with the problem of modifying the feedback structure to avoid fixed modes. Chapter six presents several design algorithms, such as constrained optimization, robust decentralized servomechanism design, hierarchical design and overlapping control. Finally, Chapter seven analyzes the effect of structural perturbations of the system or the effect of the controllers on the stability of the system.